Recent events have left many in despair. Now, more than ever, we need courage to face the Yinese curse cast on us by Allen Ginsberg’s Moloch.The kingdom of harmony is under siege, and everyone was, is, and will be drafted into its defense. The only draft dodging is death. If you choose to stay atomized and glued to your phone/tv, you choose to taste the ephemeral fruits of apathy as the suffering culminates and swallows your lineage whole. Being a Boy Scout, I’d rather be prepared for this fight.

If you think that’s blown out of proportion, look at environmental reports, the rise of authoritarian police states, and the treatment of journalism. I could go on, but others do it better.

If you’re going to change the world, you’re best off starting with yourself. All problems with people involve individuals, so it’s key to be the best individual you can be. If you get compromised by emotions, you’ll likely do something counter to your (assumed) desire to do good. If you don’t acknowledge your emtions, you’ll be living a hollow, cold life. Plus keeping unaddressed emotions is like keeping venomous cobras in your house. Rationality is important. You’ll have to arm yourself with knowledge, but you’ll have to train your mind to actually harness the knowledge. Knowing of armchair morals is dandy until you freak out at a schizophrenic homeless woman who just spilled mozzarella sauce on your new sneakers. Like most things, conquering your emotions takes practice. Just take five minutes every other day or so to feel all the sensations of being. Meditate, so you can be aware of your feelings before they turn into unwanted actions.

Humility is of essence here, and it comes from a respect for death. Understand that all mountains and men will weather away to the flow of time. This may breed a fearful respect, but a friendly respect is needed. Death will happen. Luckily, he’s like your big brother who’ll give you daps on your way to the void. Do more than rationally grasp that death is the only destination, and start taking your time getting there instead of clinging to your transient desires. Stop and see what’s beautiful around you. There’s always something with incredible, unintentional detail nearby. Very little comes with us, but our actions, traits, and creations can inspire generations to spine up and do rather than sit. If you get tired of chasing material improvement, start chasing self improvement. If you get tired of that, start helping others improve. If you fail at any of these, remember that tomorrow doesn’t have to be the same. Very few people get important things right the first time. You will get better.

With humility comes the ability to change. Your identity isn’t of the utmost importance. Maybe it’s not so important to drive that truck, or wear that watch, or ignore homeless outcastes just to fit in. You’re still you. You are confident that you can bend to the situation and always be you. Hell, the real you might always be bent out of shape, and that’s completely alright. Be careful though, self analysis is an extremely subtle shade of gray. It is important to distinguish when you have a trait that’s a keeper and when you’re clinging to a sense of identity. Aim for traits that you’re proud helps others. Aim for being happy to help others. There are win-win situations everywhere, but you need to conquer your pitfalls. Understand what your avarice, your fear, your apathy feels like, and ruthlessly tame them. Harmonize with your beasts. If needed, slaughter them like pigs.

Our hope resides in our self-confidence, our humility, and our peace with death. Peace out.